Welkin Gunther
Welkin Gunther (ウェルキン・ギュンター Werukin Gyuntā?) is the son of a great war hero from the First Europan War (EWI). As the commanding officer of Squad 7 during EWII, he has the ability to issue Orders to units under his command, provided he has access to his tank's radio. He is voiced by Susumu Chiba in the Japanese version and Dave Wittenberg in the English version. Welkin is also the only multi-class unit in the videogame Valkyria Chronicles, being both a tank commander and a Scout, albeit the only Scout in the game with no Battle Potentials. History The son of General Belgen Gunther, Welkin was born in the village of Bruhl close to the Gallia-Empire border. At a young age he gained a sister, Isara Gunther, whom Belgen had adopted after the death of her father, the famed engineer Theimer. Welkin and his father treated Isara as one of their own and the two siblings remained close throughout their childhood. Welkin also gained a love of nature from spending time with his father in the forests and fields around Bruhl. Belgen however passed on when Welkin was only 13, though the two siblings were cared for by Martha Lipponen, a family friend. Due to his love of nature, Welkin chose to study animal sociology upon entry into university, but his studies were interrupted when the Second Europan War broke out and the Empire once more threatened to invade Gallia. Welkin returned home to Bruhl to help his sister evacuate and made the acquaintance of Alicia Melchiott, head of the town watch, when she arrested him for suspected espionage. The misunderstanding was quickly cleared up when Isara arrived and as an apology Alicia brought the two some bread she had baked. This moment was however shattered when an Imperial force struck Bruhl, forcing the town guard to fight a stalling action while the civilians evacuated. Welkin lent the watch his assistance and the first wave was repelled, but Bruhl was effectively lost. Isara and a pregnant Martha were also attacked, but with a timely distraction from Welkin, Isara was able to reach a rifle the family owned and kill the Imperials. It was then that Isara revealed the refurbished Edelweiss, the tank designed and developed by her father Theimer and Belgen Gunther. Once Martha was evacuated into the tank, Isara and Welkin drove it to aid Alicia and the rest of the town watch. Their arrival was most fortuitous as the Imperials had brought a tank as well and the watch had no weapons with which to fight back effectively. After destroying the tank, the Edelweiss forced the remaining Imperials to retreat, giving the rest of Bruhl's residents time to flee. Upon evacuating to Randgriz, Welkin was given command of militia Squad 7 by Captain Eleanor Varrot with Alicia as his second command and Isara as the Edelweiss' pilot. He also met up with several fellow university students including Faldio Landzaat and Juno Coren. Friction within the squad however soon erupted due to anti-Darcsen prejudices amongst its numbers. Two especially prickly members were Largo Potter, a veteran who was unimpressed with Welkin's lack of experience, and Brigitte "Rosie" Stark, a young woman who had lost her family to an anti-Darcsen raid during the last war. Welkin however did not back down and made a bet with Largo, claiming he could reclaim the Great Vasel Bridge that was allowing Imperial forces to launch attacks into Randgriz. Using his knowledge of plants, Welkin found a shallow area in the river and forded it using the Edelweiss. This allowed Squad 7 to launch a surprise attack and seize control of the bridge gatehouse and raise the bridge, sending Imperial forces crossing it into the river below. Welkin thus won the bet and the grudging respect of a few more squad members, but Rosie's and other members' anti-Darcsen sentiment would take longer to soothe. With Randgriz secure, Squad 7 was deployed to the Kloden Wildwood to disrupt Imperial supply lines. Due to the dense nature of the forests, it was easy to become lost. Welkin however demonstrated his knowledge of nature once more by finding animal trails for the squad to follow and successfully navigated to the Imperial supply base. The following battle would be Squad 7's first encounter with Imperial General Radi Jaeger. Though Jaeger withdrew, the Imperials had been able to evacuate most of their supplies in the process. Squad 7 was soon ordered to the Barious Desert where they lay witness to the massive devastation. Several members believed these scars were the result of Darcsens using ragnite weapons during the War of the Valkyrur, but Isara adamantly pointed out that no archeological evidence existed supporting the rumor. It was here that Welkin, Alicia, and Faldio came across an ancient Valkyria temple. To their surprise, Alicia somehow opened the temple's inner chambers. The three proceeded deeper, only to encounter Prince Maximilian, leader of the Imperial invasion, and General Selvaria Bles, one of Maximilian's direct subordinates. The meeting went without bloodshed after Maximilian suggested they take their grievances outside to avoid damaging the temple. However, after rejoining Squad 7, Welkin found that Maximilian had brought with him a large tank called the Batomys. Faldio left to engage Selvaria, but his forces were quickly decimated by the Valkyria's powers. Squad 7 eventually discovered a weakness in the Batomys' design and exploited it to disable the vehicle. Selvaria however had arrived and managed to evacuate Maximilian, leaving the Gallians in awe of her power. With the Empire having withdrawn from Barious, Squad 7 was ordered back to Randgriz and was forced to travel through the Kloden Wildwood once more. The squad soon found themselves under attack from an Imperial mortar and Welkin and Alicia are separated from the others after a mortar strike threw them off a cliff. The two survived but Alicia had sprang her leg, slowing her considerably. Welkin made do with what medicinal herbs he could find in the forest to deal with the swelling and the two slowly made their way back to Squad 7. Along the way, the pair grew closer as they worked together to survive. The two eventually ran into a wounded Imperial soldier who ultimately perished despite their efforts to treat him. Not long after they were discovered by other Imperials, but in gratitude for the kindness the two had shown their comrade, the Imperial officer let them go. The next day, the battle resumed and Welkin and Alicia discovered the mortar that had been hounding them the past night. After destroying it, they reunited with Squad 7 and defeated the remaining Imperial forces. Returning to Randgriz, Welkin was one of several young officers being honored for their achievements in holding the Imperial invasion at bay. Matters however quickly spiraled out of control when the Princess Cordelia Gi Randgriz was kidnapped by the Federation ambassador. Welkin used the Edelweiss to block the Federation ambassador's APC while the rest of the squad fought off Federation soldiers dressed as Gallian Royal Guardsmen. Eventually the ambassador's APC was disabled and the princess was saved, earning Welkin the Gallian Medal of Honor. News of the incident however was suppressed to preserve relations with the Federation, much to the distaste of the militia members who knew of it. Squad 7's next mission was to liberate the industrial city of Fouzen, which had fallen to the Empire early in the invasion. To staff the mines and factories, the Empire placed Darcsen prisoners in work camps under brutal conditions. A large artillery piece mounted on a train car also watched over the city, preventing any attempts to rebel. Squad 7 infiltrated the factory district and made contact with a Darcsen freedom fighter, Zaka. Upon entering the concentration camp, even Rosie was appalled at the conditions the Darcsens were forced to live in. With Zaka's help, Squad 7 destroyed the railroad bridge the Imperial artillery piece was sitting on, killing General Gregor in the process. Before withdrawing however, Imperial forces locked down the Darcsen camps and set fire to them, killing the workers trapped inside. Shocked at this brutality, Squad 7 united to help search for survivors, despite knowing there was little hope any had lived. Even as the war took a toll on the nation and the people, Welkin and the rest of the squad grew closer together. In addition to earning the respect of Largo, Rosie, and other skeptics, Welkin and Alicia developed a mutual attraction. However, this closeness would only let the tragedy that followed cut even deeper. Annoyed at the success of the militia while the regular army continued to suffer defeats, General Georg von Damon ordered Squad 7 to attempt to retake Marberry Shore, a heavily fortified position. With the beach completely exposed and near-impervious bunkers covering the approach, most of the squad considered it a suicide mission. Isara however came up with a new type of smoke shells that while not doing any damage would hide the squad's movements as they advanced on the beach. Squad 7 was also joined by a new member, Zaka, piloting the customized tank Shamrock. The battle was ultimately won by Squad 7 despite the strong Imperial defenses, but the victory came at a great cost as an Imperial sniper slew Isara as she was reconciling with Rosie. Her passing greatly affected the squad and Welkin was devastated at the loss of his beloved sister. The war however would not wait and Squad 7 was quickly called upon once more. Captain Varrot had however pulled a few strings and presented Squad 7 with a mission to liberate Bruhl, Welkin, Alicia, and Isara's hometown. Grateful to the captain, Welkin led his squad to victory in a bittersweet return home. Despite their setbacks, the Empire's forces were still strong and had dug in at the plains of Naggiar. With several other militia and army units, Squad 7 was deployed to try and root out the Imperials. It was here however that Gallian forces were confronted by Selvaria Bles once more. With her Valkyrian arms, Selvaria devastated Gallian forces both physically and morally. Squad 7 managed to achieve a few small gains, but in the face of such an awesome power hope was quickly fading. Even worse for Welkin, Alicia was badly wounded by a sniper, bringing forth memories of Isara's fate. With no time to worry, Welkin was forced onto the field once more but Gallian lines were crumbling under Selvaria's might. It was then that the miracle Gallia needed happened as Alicia stumbled onto the field, wielding a set of Valkyrian lance and shield herself. Fully awakening to her power, Alicia overpowered Selvaria and tore a hole through the Imperial lines before collapsing. Squad 7 quickly rushed her back to the field hospital even as Gallian forces surged forward to take advantage of Selvaria's defeat. After Alicia's awakening, Welkin pieced together the identify of the sniper that had wounded Alicia, realizing it was his friend Faldio. Welkin confronted Faldio in Captain Varrot's office and punched him in rage, prompting the captain to detain both of them. Welkin was released a few days later, but the betrayal of his best friend cut deeply. The victory at Naggiar was followed with the recapture of Ghirlandaio, though Alicia remained confused and troubled by her newly awakened powers. Welkin did what he could to comfort her, but the continuing war allowed little time to rest and recover. Even worse, the fortress of Ghirlandaio and the bulk of the surviving Gallian army in the north was destroyed when Selvaria sacrificed her life to ignite the final flame of the Valkyria. Maximilian took advantage of the chaos and unveiled his secret weapon, the land dreadnaught Marmota, a massive ship that tore through central Gallia straight for Randgriz. The militia and the royal guard attempted to stop the Marmota by leading it into a minefield laid in a valley north of the Kloden Forest in an operation dubbed Maiden's Shield, but this proved ineffectual. Seeing her homeland so devastated, Alicia decided to follow Selvaria's example and ignite her own flame in an attempt to destroy the Marmota. Welkin however refused to let his love go through with this and his confession gave Alicia hope that she was more than a weapon of war. The failure of Maiden's Shield allowed the Marmota to sail straight into Randgriz and occupy the capital. Welkin and Squad 7 gave chase and defeated General Jaeger to regain a foothold in the city. Maximilian had however achieved his objective, retrieving the Valkyrian lance hidden in Castle Randgriz. The Marmota withdrew and then demonstrated the power of the lance by vaporizing a nearby mountain and the militia squads in its line of fire. Welkin and Squad 7 were not cowed however and continued their assault, flanking the Marmota to avoid being hit by lance. Taking advantage of the damage Alicia had done during her aborted suicide attack, Squad 7 was able to board the dreadnaught and disable its engines and ultimately destroy the lance. Welkin's battle was not over however, as Maximilian himself took to the field and revealed his Artificial Valkyria system. Despite his newfound power, Maximilian was ultimately defeated when Squad 7 exploited weaknesses in the system by disabling the generators that fueled Maximilian. When Maximilian attempted to ignite the final flame, Faldio reappeared, having escaped detention and stowed away to reach the battle. He grabbed hold of Maximilian and after apologizing to Welkin and Alicia for his actions, pulled the prince down with him into the Marmota's burning hull. With the Marmota exploding all around them, Squad 7 attempted to evacuate but Alicia and Welkin were cut off by debris. The two however refused to give up hope and were rewarded when Leon Schmidt arrived in the just completed biplane Isara and saved the two. For his actions, Welkin was awarded the Savior of Gallia, an award his father also earned for defeating the Empire during the First Europan War. After the War After the invasion of Gallia by Imperial forces, he went on to become a teacher in a village near the Lanseal Military Academy, married Alicia Melchiott, and had a baby girl. He remained at the academy for an unspecified period of time and then returned with his wife and child to teach in his home town, Bruhl. Gallery Category:Sega Characters Category:Valkyria Chronicles Characters Category:PlayStation 3 Debut Category:All Characters